Luton boss Rob Edwards says tomorrow’s first-ever home game in the Premier League will be “very special” and has called on fans to make Kenilworth Road a “cauldron” against West Ham United.
Town have had to begin their top-flight campaign on the road, suffering back-to-back defeats at Brighton and Chelsea, while the stadium was revamped to bring it up to Premier League requirements.
The 3-2 Carabao Cup win over Gillingham on Tuesday acted as a test event, with the new Bobbers Stand opened for the first time after an intensive 13-week build to replace the old executive boxes with new seating and media facilities.
But tomorrow, in front of the Sky Sports television cameras will be an historic occasion and boss Edwards expects it will be, “very special”. He added: “We’re really looking forward to it. There’s been a lot of talk and a lot of noise about Kenilworth Road.
“I hope people see the real positives of it tomorrow and see it making a lot of noise. Hopefully, it can bring us some points this season as well.
“Our supporters, and I’ve said this a lot, have been through some dark times over the very recent history. So, for them to be coming to the Kenny to see Premier League football, it’s really special for them.”
Prior to Tuesday, the last time Town turned out at Kenilworth Road was for the Championship play-off semi-final against Sunderland, which was one of the most intense atmospheres experienced at the old stadium for many a year.
Edwards said: “Hopefully we see it tomorrow. It’s definitely going to play a big part for us this year.
“Our fans can make it a real cauldron. We’ve got to play our part in terms of performance, but it can really make a difference.
“We saw it at times last year in big, big games, especially towards the end of the season in the Sunderland semi-final. It was amazing, the noise, and I’m going to want that again.”
However, thought emotions will be high, Edwards will have to plot a way past an unbeaten West Ham side that has despatched Brighton and Chelsea, and currently sits second in the table behind champions Manchester City.
“Tomorrow is no easier, just because we’re at home,” warned the managers adding: “West Ham have beaten the two teams that we’ve lost against. They’ve shown their quality. They’ve just won a European trophy so tomorrow’s going to be a really, really difficult test, as every one of the 38 games will be.
“But what I would like to see is progression from Chelsea to tomorrow night.”
